Apparatus for locking car-doors.



J. B. LOWELL. APPARATUS FOR LOCKING GAR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUlI1E|2B,19l2.A

Patented Sept.' 3, 1912.

-LD 53565; if

i 22.0 jj j@ frFr s'FATFs OFFiOF- JOSEPH'B. LOWELL, OF.EVERCEI!T,l MASSACHUSETTS.

AFFARATUs FOR LOCKING cARmooRs.

To all 'whom tl-may concern .Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. LOWELL, a citizen of the United' States, and resident of Everett, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvenient in Apparatus for Locking. Car-Doors,-

of which thefOlIOWingzdeSCriptiOn, in connection with-the` accompanying drawing, is

1.a specification, like characters on the drawi' 'broadly new, but they are all `open to serions practical objection owing to themode of :operation thereof. y

Inl one type of locking mechanism the fluid under pressure is obtained from a `reservoir on the car connected-with or forming a part of the air-brake mechanism, but the vital objection to this arrangement is due to the fact that the air will remain un* der pressure for but a few hours, eveniun der the best of conditions. A car so equipped cannot be opened except `by coupling up with a locomotiveor some other supply of air after the carhas been cut off for a comparatively short time, and 'if the car to be opened is in the middle of astring of cars all cars between the locomotive and the car to be opened must be coupled up. If a hand pump is usedthere is nothing to prevent such use by unauthorized parties, so that the locking yof the cai'l is not properly safeguarded. Other forinsof pneumatically opened locking devices are s0 construeted that they can be opened only by coupling up the car and a locomotive, the air pressure requisite t-o unlock the ear bei ing altogether under the control-of theengincer. This arrangement provides ample safeguard against unauthorized unlocking of the car, but it is objectionable becausethe car must be coupled to the locomotive airbrake system before it can be unlocked, and in a large yard the inconvenience is so great as to make the construction impracticable of adoption.

In my present inventionthe door locking Specication'of Letters'laten't.

` Applicationiled June 28, 1912. Serial No. 706,409.

Patented'Sept. 3, 1912.

mechanism -is released by' the admission of aI fluid,sl1chl as' air, under pressure from .any suitable source' of supply,wliich may vbe ahand pump, alocomotive, or'otherwise,

but the apparatus is soarranged that the lconnection can-beemadel only by the use of.

av detachable coupling member or key, which fis-under the control ofthe yard-master or other official. lVhen the` vsaid coupling member or keyis applied tothe conduit on fthe car leading. to the locking mechanism a valve-iii such'- conduit is openedl automati .cally and a free passage of the air under 'pressure is provided., The removal of the -key causes 'the valveto close automatically,

and no matter what pressure is applied to the conduit the locking mechanism is un- Safectedi.unless the valve can be opened and lmaintainedgopvn, and this cannot be done Without thel key. yllhe mechanism is simple and strong, `it is inexpensive to manufacture, and is not liable yto get out of order.

The various novel features of. my invention will be fully described in the subjoined in the following claims.

Figure lis a View of a portion Iof the interior ofa.- freight car, partly in vertical section, showing a door -locking mechanism applied'thereto embodying one form rof my invention, the door oeing shown as locked; Fig. Qlis a right liano side elevation of the casing containing the locking devices proper, With the cover removed;v Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional detail on the line specification, and particularly pointedout 8--8, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the inlet end'of the conduit connected with the locking devices, the normally closed valve 'being shown in elevation; Fig. 5 is a similar view of the coupling member or key, detached; Fig. 6 is a much enlarged cross-section of the key on the line 6 6, Fig. 5, looking toward the right; Fig. 7 is an enlarged outer end view of the extension on the conduit, to be referred to; Fig. S is a longitudinal sectional Ivieu' of the coupling member or key tempo iarily connected with the conduit, showing the manner in which the conduit valve is opened at such time.

Referring to Fig. l. A represents a poriop `B is the sliding door, and C is the usual up- Y..' .t1on the post C 1s cut out or recessed to re i right po-st at the side of the doorway, all

, viewed from the interior of the car.

when in its locking position to extend a considerable distance beyond the edge of the door.

In the present embodimentof my invenceive a casing 1, preferably of cast iron, havlng a heavy face plate 2 which is mortised into the post, said face plate having an elongated upright slot 3 for the passage therethrough of the latch D. The plate 2 within the casing has an upright guide 1 formedthereon, for the reception of a vertically Vslidable keeper' 5, the lower end thereof engaging the latch behind the latch shoulder, as shown in Fig. 1, to retain the door locked.

A stud 6 on the keeper projects through an. upright slot 7 in the guide 4, offset laterally from the latch,and said stud is pivotally connected with the upper end of `a rod'8 having' an attached piston 9 slidable in a cylinder 10. This cylinder has an apertured head for the rod 8, and the lower end of the cylinder tits air-tight in a base 11 o-n the bottom of thel casing 1. A coiled spring 12, Fig. 1, between .the head of thecylinder and the piston acts normally to depress the keeper .5 in locking position, undue descent of said keeper being limited by engagement of the stud 6 with the bottom of the slot 7.

A cover plate 13, Fig. 1, is attached to the back of the casing by screws 14, thereby inclosing Within the casing all of the lparts of the locking lmechanism so far described.

The cylinder 10 has permanently attached to it belovs7 the .piston a conduit 15, which is continued inside the car to any convenient partthereof, as for instance, one of the end posts Gr, the latter having a hole 16 therein, see dotted lines Fig. 1, covered at its outer end by a swing plate 17 Inside the post the conduit is supported and fixedly held, by a tubular support- 18 attached to the post. At a point within this support the conduit 15 is externallyA screw-threaded, at 19, Figs. 4 and 8, and provided with a valve seat 20, with which cooperates a valve 21, and beyond the valve seat the conduit is reduced in diameter to present a tubular extension 22 having inlet ports 23 adjacent the valve seat. The extension has near its outer end 'a fixed diaphragm 24 provided with a square hole through which passes freely the spindle 25 of the valve, square in cross section and threaded on its longitudinal edges at its outer end, which projects slightly beyond the diaphragm when the valve is seated by -spring 26. Ordinarily the expansibility of the spring maintains the'valve 21 seated, so that there is no communication through the ed internally at its inner .end at 27"y forthreaded engagement with the portion 19 of' the conduit, the outer end of the tube being The end 28 is internally threaded for attachment to the usual nipple of an air pump tube, or with any' other suitable source of air under pressure, and when not in use the part 28 may be closed by a screw cap 31'.

Within the member 27 I mount a nut 32 having apertures 33 and a central hub 34 internally threaded at 35, said hub being attached to one end of; a spring 36. Said spring at its opposite end is fastened to the end of the member 27, permitting the nut 32 to move against the spring longitudinally in the member 27 but preventing rotation of the nut. Toflimit spring induced movement of the nut I providestop pins 37, Figs. 5 and 6, driven through the tube 27, but any other'form of stop can be used.

Referring to Fig. 1, when the latch D is moved down into substantially horizontal position and the doorB is shut the nose of -the latch passes through" the slot 3 of the face pla into the casing 1, lifting the keeper 5 against spring 12 until the keeper can drop behind the shoulder of the latch, locking the door. The locking action is thus automatic, the door being shut from the outside, and when locked it is inaccessible for opening from the exterior of the car unless the keeper is liftedI by air pressure introduced into the cylinder lO beneath the p iston 9. y

The coupling member or key 27 is in the custody of the yard-master or other authorized person, and when a car is to be opened such person takesy the key and preferably an ordinary bicycle pump, and proceeds to the car. The cover 17 is swung t0-one side and the threaded end of the key is inserted in the hole 16- and screwed onto the part`19 of .reduced at 28 and preferably having a usual form of spring-valve 29 to close the seat 30.

the conduit. As the key is thus moved inthe threaded engagement of the key and pump or ,an'air brake mechanism on alocomotive, the air under pressure will flow through the key and into the conduit 15 and thence to the cylinder l0 elevating the piston and lifting the keeper 5l out of engagement with the latch D so that the door-can be opened from the exterior ofthe car. When the releasing lair has been applied and has performed its function, namely, to eifect the release of the doorilatch; the key is removed by unscrewing it from the threaded part 19 ofthe conduit. As the key is unscrewed the nut'32 is unscrewed from the threaded valve.

spindle 25 and immediately the spring 26 .refs'eats the valve, absolutely closing* the conduit.

From an inspection of Fig/i, it will be manifest that even should the projecting end of the valve spindle be grasped by a suitable tool and pulled outward, to open the valve, there wou-ld be nothing gained by such procedure, because no air underpres sure could be transmitted at the same time to the conduit. The' only way for air to be transmitted through the conduit istaconnect the latter with a source of air supply simultaneously with the opning of the valve, and that is eifected by'fchhe combined coupling member and valve opening device.

So far'as concernsthe valve 29 in the outer end ofv the key, shown in Fig. 5, it will be-obvious that it is not an essential feature of the invention, for the operation of the device is precisely the same if such valve be omitted. Itis convenient, however, to have such a valve, as it keeps dirt from entering the key, and furthermore, when using a handV pump to supply the compressed air theva-lve 29 acts as a check valve.

InFig. 8 'I have shown the cap 3l re-4 moved, and the nipple of the tube connected withr the source ofA compressed air is shown in operative engagement with the part '28 of the key.

From the foregoingdescription and the drawing it will be manifest that the locking mechanism cannot be supplied with releas-' pressure is required, and while the locking mechanism can be operated by train pipe pressure if convenient, it can be only in connection with the .coupling member or key.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangementof thev locking mechanism, and various changes or modifications in details of construction and arrangement may be made by those skilled in the art' without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, but so far as I am aware,'it is broadly new to provide a safety device such as the coupling member or key hereinbefore described for use in connection with a doorvlocking mechanism of this general character, and the same is claimed ,broadly in the claims vhereunto anneXed.

Having 4fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure rby Letters Patent is:

1l The combination with a cai and its sliding door, and a pneumatically released door-locking mechanism i inaccessible from without the car whenthe door is locked, of a conduit communicating with and to supply releasing air to saidv mechanism and having -an accessible inlet end, a normally closed valve -in the conduit-,and a detachable coupling key having means to open the 'valve when said key is applied to the inlet end of. the conduit, thereby to establish communication with the locking mechanism, said key being adapted for temporary connection with a source of air under pressure to couple the vlocking mechanism therewith when the conduit valve is opened by the key.

2. The combination withl a car' and its l sliding door, and a pneumatically released doorlockmg mechanism inaccessible from without the car when the door is locked7 of ar conduit communicating with and to supply releasing air to said mechanism and having an accessible inlet end, a normally closed valve in the conduit, av detachable, tubular coupling key applicable temporarily to the inlet endpof the conduit and adapted for temporary connection at such time with a source ofair under pressure, and means rendered operative by the application of said key to the conduit to open the valve thereinA and maintain it open while the key and conduit are connecte 3. The combination vwith a caiand its sliding door, and an automatically locking mechanism to retain the door closed, lof a permanentlyV attached conduit to supply re-4 i leasing air to said mechanism, a normally closed valve in the conduit, having an eX- posed spindle, a detachable, tubular coupling member adapted for temporary attachment to the conduit and to a source of air funder pressure, said member having means for threaded engagement with the conduit, andA means within the coupling member to engage the valve spindle and unseat the valve when said member is caused to have engagement with the conduit.

4. The combination With a car and its sliding door, and an automatically locking mechanism to retain the door closed, of a permanently attached conduit to supply relleasing air to said mechanism, the outerend of the conduit, having a valve-seat therein and a tubular extension beyond the seat, provided vwith an inlet port, a spring-controlled valve normally held on the seat, to close the conduit, a tubular couplingmember adapted for detachable 'threaded engagement with the conduit beyond the inlet port, and means Within said member to coopera-te With and unseat the valve When the said member is in engagement with the conduit, whereby' air from a source of supply connected with the outer end of the coupling member may pass through the 'latter to the conduit-'- through the port and the open valve seat.

5. The combination with a car and itsV sliding door, and a pneumatically releasing door-locking mechanism inaccessible from with an inlet port, and a spring-seated valve having a threaded spindle longitudinally movable in the extension, a tubular coupling member ada-ptedfor temporary connecti'on at its outer end with a source of air under pressure and threaded at its inner end for connection with the conduit beyond the inlet port, and a yieldingly-sustained and apertured nut in said coupling member and rotatable therewith, to engage the valve spindle and unseat the valve When the coupling member is screwed onto the conduit,

whereby air from the source of supply can pass from the coupling member to the c'on- Y ing an accessible inlet end, a normally closed valve' in Ythecon'duit, al detachable tubular coupling member adapted for threaded engagement with the accessible end of the conduit, 'to connect it temporarily with a supply of air under pressure,.and means acting only `When the coupling member is attached to the conduit to open the valve and maintain a free passage through the said coupling member and conduit to the locking mechanism.

A7.1A Y pneumatically controlled lock for sliding doors, comprising a casing having slot for lthe entrance of the door-latch, a

spring-actuatedkeeper slidably mounted in the 'casing to engage the latch When the latter enters the casing, an air cylinder having a piston, a connection between the latter and the keeper, to move said keeper into latchreleasing position, a conduit leading intol the cylinder, to admit fluid under pressure thereto to effect releasing movement of the piston, a normally closed valve within said conduit, and a detachable key to open the valve lwhen said key is applied to the conduit, said key being adapted for connection at such time with a suitable source of fluid under-pressure I In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y

JOSEPH Bf LOWELL.

Witnessesz ALFRED A. DoANE,

FANNIE M. DOANEL 

